Happy Earth Day! it’s April 22, and the day we celebrate Mother Earth, better know as Earth Day. it doesn’t have to be a big of celebration, it can just be a dray that you reflect on the beauty and the special gifts the Earth gives to us. it is also a great day to think of ways that we can better take care of our world. whether it be recycling, planting a garden or just being more careful with our resources, there are a thousand and one ways we can do our part just a bit better.

for your own Happy Earth Day 8 x 10″ print, click here to download the Free Earth Day Printable. just print it out and place it into a frame to display on Earth Week.

baby loves bubbles…actually, i think all kids love bubbles. they can go from screaming and crying to giggling and laughter with the “pop” of a bubble. in fact, bubbles also have many developmental benefits such as gaining eye contact, learning patience, hand eye co-ordination when you pop them, developing spatial awareness & exercise as little bodies stretch, reach and run to catch the bubbles.

so i’ve been wanting to make some fun bubble wands for baby to make bubble blowing extra fun! bigger bubbles are always better in my book. and since it is Earth Week this week, i wanted to show my kiddies that you can

things, instead of throwing them away.

so, i had a bunch of wire hangers just sitting around….about to be thrown away. i thought, why not make bubble wands from them instead of filling up a landfill. so, i did. and here is how you can make your own handmade bubble wand:

step 1
using needle nose pliers, untwist and straighten out a wire hanger. (the whole bending process of the hanger was a bit harder than i thought, but the job got done.)

step 2

using needle nose pliers, twist the wire hanger into the desired shape. make sure one end is at least a 12″ long straight length for the handle, and the other end has a 1″ straight length that you will connect. to make curved shapes, it helps to use a metal canned food can to shape the hanger around.

step 3

connect your shape together like the picture below. use yourneedle nosed pliers to twist the wire around, making sure that there are no sharp edges sticking out.

step 4

if you would like to spray paint your bubble wand…now is the time to do it. once dry, move onto step 5.

step 5

string beads onto the handle of your wand. i found these great colorful painted wooden beads at Michael’s Craft Store.

step 6

using needle nosed pliers, twist the end of your bubble wand into a spiral to keep the beads on. make sure the end is not poking out too scratch anyone. see the picture below.

step 7

if you put beads onto your bubble wand, it’s a good idea to glue them down….or at least the top one so they done slide up and down the handle. i just lifted the beads up, put some hot glue onto the handle and slid the beads down again. then they were stuck.

step 8

tada! you are finished. now enjoy your bubbles. you will need quite a bit of bubble solution though. i bought a huge jug at Target for $3.50. even two would be better. you can make your own solution by finding a recipe online though too. and when your done blowing bubbles, use a funnel to pour the unused solution back into the container.
wrapping a pipe cleaner around the entire shape on the top of your bubble wand can allow the bubble wand to hold more bubble solution. which = more bubbles.

woulda, coulda, shoulda done some fun projects for Earth Day. oh well! but i will at least leave you with some Earth Day finds and freebies from around the blogesphere. see….i guess i didn’t quit blogging 🙂

it’s the beginning of Earth Day week. Earth Day is April 22. i love earth day because it reminds me of all this planet has to offer, the beauty of nature and the creatures and habitat that surrounds me.

last year i brought cookies to my son’s class for earth day. if you want your kiddie to think you’re the awesomest (is that even a word?) on the earth….all you have to do is bring this treat to their classroom! the whole class and even the teacher loved them.

these Earth Day cookies are very easy to make. i just used store bought sugar cookie dough. i cut it into circles. baked and then frosted them with blue and green icing. first, frost them with blue icing, then dribble green icing and swirl it around with a toothpick. i then added white sprinkles….(clouds i guess!)